Material Choices Make For Stunning Portfolio Case

In the right hands, top quality ingredients can yield some of the most exquisite and enjoyable meals. The same can be said for your portfolio. Quality materials can be used to create an exquisite hand crafted portfolio. Such material choices should be well considered and ideally have some connection to you and the work you do.

This portfolio case for Cape Town photographer Sven Kristian is a wonderful example of the level of craftsmanship and quality that can be achieved with the right ingredients in the right hands. Strand woven bamboo, leather, brass, and copper help to make this a true stand out.

Sven told me,

“I wanted to have a portfolio that would not just be the same as many of the other portfolios out there. In an industry that is so saturated and competitive, I wanted to try make a positive first impression, before any of my images are seen. I am confident and proud that this portfolio case represents me, my work and my love for beauty and detail perfectly!

The case was hand made by my friend Kobus Prinsloo at Hout Handcrafted in Cape Town, South Africa. Thanks Kobus!

It is made from 5mm strand woven bamboo flooring that has been carbonized, giving it that dark and rich colour, quite unlike normal bamboo. Strand Woven bamboo is made using a different process than all other bamboo (flooring) types, by heating long strands of bamboo, and then compressing them under extreme pressure. Carbonising is a heat intensive process and it is as a result of this process that it gets this colour; it has not been stained.

The inside of the case has been lined with leather, a subtle suede, yet smooth texture. The lid and the bottom section of the case is kept aligned with the use of six small pins that hold the one end to the other. The hand made leather strap and brass buttons keep the lid firmly in place, making the case travel friendly and sturdy.

The logo shield is a 1.2mm copper plate with my logo engraved on top and fixed to the wood with small copper pins. The copper has been intensely tarnished to give it that aged feel which works really well!

The diagonal lid is a design element that appealed to me and again, creates a more interesting object to view and handle.

I decided that I did not want to print a portfolio book, but instead fill the case with individual photographs that the viewer can hold and view like photographs are intended to be looked at. In this day and age of digital photography, the feel of an individual photograph can take us back to the past, even if just for a minute.”